Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) — Free Online Scoring by Spector

Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS): Scoring, Facets & Interpretation Explained

The Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) was developed by Paul E. Spector and published in the American Journal of Community Psychology (1985). It is one of the most widely used multidimensional job satisfaction measures in occupational psychology, having been used in hundreds of published studies across human services, public sector, private industry, and non-profit organizations. The JSS measures 9 facets of job satisfaction using 4 items per facet on a 6-point agree–disagree scale, producing both facet-level and total-level scores.

JSS Scoring: How the 9 Facets Are Calculated

Each of the 36 items is rated from 1 (Disagree very much) to 6 (Agree very much). Items are written in both directions — approximately half are positively worded, half negatively. For negatively worded items (indicating dissatisfaction when agreed with), the score is reversed before summing: reversed score = 7 − raw score. This ensures that high scores always represent satisfaction across all items. Facet scores (4 items × max 6 = 24) are summed from the 4 items assigned to each facet. Total score = sum of all 36 scored items (range 36–216).

JSS Score Interpretation: What the Three Levels Mean

Spector (1985) established three interpretive levels based on agreement/disagreement thresholds. Total score above 144: the respondent generally agreed more than disagreed with satisfaction items — Satisfied. Total score 108–144: responses are mixed — Ambivalent. Total score below 108: the respondent generally disagreed more than agreed with satisfaction items — Dissatisfied. An important caveat from Spector himself: these cut-scores are "logical but arbitrary" — they provide orientation, not diagnostic categories. The facet breakdown is often more informative than the total score, because a person may be highly satisfied with Nature of Work but severely dissatisfied with Pay, producing a mid-range total that masks the specific issue.

The 9 JSS Facets: What Each Measures

Pay covers satisfaction with salary level and pay raises. Promotion covers perceived fairness of advancement opportunities. Supervision measures satisfaction with the immediate supervisor's competence and interpersonal treatment. Fringe Benefits covers non-salary compensation. Contingent Rewards addresses whether good performance is recognized and rewarded. Operating Conditions covers procedural workload, red tape, and job demands. Coworkers measures the quality of relationships with colleagues. Nature of Work captures intrinsic job interest and meaningfulness. Communication assesses the quality of information flow within the organization. Together, these 9 facets provide a structural diagnostic of exactly which dimensions of the work environment are driving satisfaction or dissatisfaction — far more actionable than a single overall satisfaction score.